The Hub City:Hattiesburg, home of the University of Southern Mississippi, rests at the fork of the Leaf and Bouie Rivers and in the heart of south Mississippi's rolling piney woods. The city was originally incorporated in 1884 as a stop on the railroad between Meridian and New Orleans, and quickly became a commercial center of the regional timber industry. Hattiesburg is known as the Hub because of its location with respect to the Gulf Coast, Mobile, New Orleans, Jackson, and Meridian, with an average distance of one hundred miles between Hattiesburg and each city[1] Jews did not begin to live in Hattiesburg until the late 19th century, but the community grew rapidly to include 215 Jewish residents by 1937.[2] Although their numbers have declined since then, the Jewish community active and committed to maintaining Jewish life.

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Early Immigrants: 1890-1915In 1890, Maurice Dreyfus moved to Hattiesburg in order to operate a saw mill. Other Jewish immigrants, attracted by the booming timber and railroad industry, soon followed. Early settlers to Hattiesburg include Sam Shemper, who established a scrap iron and metal company. His descendants continued running the business until 2007 and remain very active in the Jewish community to this day.[3] Another early Jewish inhabitant of Hattiesburg was Frank Rubenstein, who founded a department store known as “The Hub” in Hattiesburg. Rubenstein immigrated to the U.S. around 1900 from Verbovets, Ukraine. By 1919, he was known as “one of the leading merchants of the city,” and “The Hub” was one of the largest department stores in the region. He also had a store in Sumrall. Other family members followed Rubenstein to Mississippi from the Ukraine and eventually settled in nearby towns, including Laurel.

In 1911 Louis Buchalter, a tailor from Poland, followed his Aunt Fannie in immigrating to New York. Upon arrival in New York, he found himself working twelve hour days for the paltry wage of one dollar per day. He soon heard of a job opening in Natchez, Mississippi, and moved South in pursuit of more economically rewarding work. There he met his wife, Jennie Saltzman. After they married in 1915, the couple moved to Hattiesburg with only $75. Buchalter opened a successful tailoring and alterations shop. The Louis Tailoring Co., which was advertised as “The Best Clothing Value in America Today,” was a fixture in Hattiesburg until 1982.[4] Buchalter took great care and pride in his suits, tailoring for fifteen years without the aid of a sewing machine. As the demand for Buchalter’s work grew, he eventually had to begin stocking ready-made suits, limiting his hand-sewn suits to special occasions only.[5]

1908: Ethnic tensions at the turn of the centuryMany Russian Jewish immigrants fleeing from Pogroms in Russia settled in Hattiesburg, and the influx of immigrants brought an increase in racial tensions. Many native-born Americans in both the Northern and Southern United States did not consider Jews or Italians to be “white,” and were open about expressing their disdain. The residents of Hattiesburg were no exception. In 1908, the School Board of Hattiesburg petitioned the Board of Alderman to erect a separate school building for the Russian-Jewish and Italian children, thus dividing the population into three classes: whites, blacks, and Jews and Italians. The Board of Alderman proved to be more liberal-minded than the Board of Education, and they rejected the petition. The Jewish community of Hattiesburg did make important contributions to town commerce, and were therefore able to avoid more severe discrimination. This is especially interesting in contrast to the hardships endured by northern Jewish communities, whose economic contributions were not as crucial or easily noticeable in large urban areas and who therefore faced significantly more discrimination than their southern coreligionists.[6]

A growing Jewish community: 1908-1917By 1908, fifteen Jewish men founded a local chapter of B’nai B’rith, the oldest Jewish service organization in the world. In 1915, the Jews of Hattiesburg organized Congregation B’nai Israel as the city’s first and only Jewish house of worship, though there is evidence that Jews had worshiped together informally long before the temple’s founding. Jewish women in Hattiesburg founded a chapter of Hadassah in 1939.[7]

In the 1919 edition of the local Hattiesburg newspaper, many Jewish-owned stores publicized the closure of their stores in observance of the high holidays. These stores included Eismans, Benjamin Jewelry Co., The Emporium, The Fair, The Famous Dept. Store, Joy’s Credit Store, The Globe, The Leader Family Outfitters, Adler Dry Goods, and S & H Katz. All of these stores closed for two days for Rosh Hashanahbut reopened on Saturday, a contrast which reflects the compromises that even observant Jews had to make in order to thrive as retail merchants in Hattiesburg.[8]

The opening of Camp Shelby fifteen miles south of Hattiesburg in 1917 had a significant impact on the community. Thousands of soldiers from the around the flocked to Camp Shelby for basic training, and the base helped make Hattiesburg into one of the largest cities in the state. Many Jewish soldiers from the North were stationed at the camp during wartime, and the local community welcomed them with open arms. Members of the Hattiesburg Jewish community often hosted Camp Shelby’s Jewish soldiers for Passover Seders and other events.[9] Hattiesburg Jews were also active in World War I, World War II, and the Vietnam War. B’nai Israel’s cemetery commemorates five members who fought in World War I, four who fought in World War II, and one who fought in the Vietnam War. Jewish women helped to initiate “Serve-A-Camp,” which donated items to servicemen serving at Camp Shelby.[10]

Civic Leaders in the Hattiesburg Community: 1920-presentHattiesburg Jews have also been very prominent in the city’s civic affairs. Herman Katz served as mayor of Hattiesburg in the 1920s. After he left office, he served on the local school board and played a prominent part in the political, educational, and fraternal life of the city.[11] Other prominent Jewish citizens include Jerry Shemper, a longtime local business leader, who served on the Hattiesburg city council. His wife Linda was active in the Forrest County Democratic Committee.[12] Herbert Ginsberg was a local lawyer who was a law partner of Paul Johnson, who served as governor of Mississippi in the 1960s. Ginsberg earned two purple hearts while fighting in the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. Ginsburg also served as a U.S. Magistrate during the 1960s.

Marvin Reuben made his mark on the Hattiesburg community through his work in the media and his commitment to social justice. After his service in the Air Corps during World War II, Rueben became a radio broadcaster, and eventually became general manager and executive vice president of WDAM-TV. In his 33 years of work with the station, Reuben was known for his on-air editorials addressing local issues of social justice. Of the many issues in social justice that Reuben addressed, he was best known for his stance in opposition to the Ku Klux Klan. The Ku Klux Klan made several efforts to silence him including throwing acid on his wife’s car, shooting the radio tower, and burning three crosses in front of the station. In 1992, Reuben received the Hub Award in honor of his social activism, and the mayor proclaimed “Marvin Reuben Day.”[13]

Local Jewish Response to the Civil Rights Movement: Clergy and Congregants During the Civil Rights era, Southern Jews were acutely aware that any challenge to white supremacy would result in serious negative social and economic consequences against the Jewish community. Synagogue bombings, threats of economic boycott, and violence directed against civil rights workers convinced a lot of Southern Jews to remain relatively silent.

Hattiesburg Rabbi Charles Mantinband did not let these threats intimidate him. Because of his stance on race relations, he received numerous threats from people within the community and his home was under constant surveillance. He even had trouble with members of his own congregation. While in Hattiesburg, Mantinband chaired the Mississippi Council on Human Relations and became actively involved in civil rights activities. He maintained open friendships with African-Americans, including Clyde Kennard and Vernon Dahmer. The pressure eventually became too great, and in 1963, Mantinband accepted a post in Longview, Texas, to be closer to family members who lived in Shreveport, Louisiana.

In 1964, Rabbi Arthur J. Lelyveld, spiritual leader of Fairmont Temple, Cleveland, came to Mississippi trying to register black voters. Lelyveld was immediately met with violence when a group of white supremacists beat him with a tire iron in broad daylight. A small group representing Hattiesburg’s Jewish community urged Lelyveld to flee town, fearful that their synagogue would be burned, or that their members injured or killed. Lelyveld responded by saying, “Don’t worry, I can’t wait to leave.” He left almost immediately afterwards.[14] The memory of Lelyveld’s beating was a powerful message to Hattiesburg’s Jews, who were afraid to do anything other than comply with the status quo.

Despite this fear, several Hattiesburg Jews continued to support Civil Rights efforts. For example Lou Ginsberg drove Rabbi Mantinband and his wife, who could not drive, to speak at the Prentiss Institute, an all-black college.[15] In Hattiesburg, a Freedom School based in six churches and Jews were part of the teaching staff. Terri Shaw did communications work for the school.[16]

The current community:Hattiesburg has remained a relatively small but stable Jewish community. In 1937, 215 Jews lived there. By 1984, 180 Jews still lived in Hattiesburg.[18] By 2011, this figure stood at 95 adults and children. While retail business ownership was almost universal among Hattiesburg Jews in the early 20th century, today, only one, Sacks Outdoors, owned by David Sackler, remains. His wife Teresa has been active in the Sisterhood and was the editor of the congregation’s newsletter for several years. In the past 25 years, a growing number of Temple B’nai Israel’s members moved to town from other states and have been engaged in professional work such as medicine, law, and academia.

Famous Hattiesburg Jews: Craig WisemanHattiesburg native Craig Wiseman became a successful Nashville songwriter. Active since the late 1980s as a songwriter, he has had his songs recorded by Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Kenny Chesney, LeAnn Rimes, and several other acts. Over a dozen of his songs have peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs music charts. In 2009 Wiseman was named "Songwriter of the Decade" by the Nashville Songwriters Association International.[1]

A Hattiesburg Mensch: Lou Ginsberg:Lou Ginsberg was born in 1930, in Vicksburg Mississippi. She grew up in Bastrop Louisiana, where her father worked at a store. She married Herbert Ginsberg, an attorney in Hattiesburg when she was twenty-one years old. They had three sons, Jay, Pertty, and Michael, all attorneys. Ginsberg worked for a year or two at the University of Southern Mississippi in the Admissions office and Reading Clinic before retiring to become a full-time mother. Along the way, she became a professional volunteer, working for the Junior Auxiliary, the Human society, and Southern Pines Animal Shelter. Like many small-town Jews, her life revolved around the temple. Her husband, Herbie, made latkes for every Chanukah and once held a kugel contest with Rabbi Norman Lipson.